Thought For The OPEN Mind - Humor From American Culture!
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Friday

* The Reality Of Hell!

Avoid this place at all cost. The Bible warns moreabout avoiding this place than it does of Heaven.

The choice is yours and on judgment day it won'tmatter what your views were (if they don't agreewith the Judge). There is only one way to stayaway from this place - my friend - and it's linkeddirectly to Good Friday.

Additional information available way below onthis blog in "comments". The choice is yoursnow - it won't be after you die!!!

8 comments:

Most vacations include an itinerary. You have an idea what you will see and do before you arrive at your destination. The Bible has enough information to project an itinerary for those whose destination is hell. Let's look at the first 6 days.

DAY 1The trip originates at the gate of death. Since departures are made daily, you are called upon to begin your trip on short notice. Since the journey is only one way, there is no need to concern yourself with return plans.

Your initial point of departure may prove more than a little frightening, as you suddenly realize the finality of your destination. The trip itself will leave you with little time to contemplate what awaits.

As you pass through the doorway of death, you will notice almost immediately that your direction is taking you away from the light toward what appears to be complete and utter darkness. With each passing moment the darkness becomes more intense. At first the absence of light is only annoying, but you feel it becoming more ominous and threatening.

The intensity of the darkness is only matched by the absence of any joyful sounds-no music, no laughter, no sounds of merriment. As you move farther, faint sounds of moaning and wailing become detectable. They seem to be coming through the darkness from every direction. You become aware of a faint light. it flickers like a flame, yet thick clouds of black smoke dance all around it, keeping the flame from casting off any real hope of light.

Suddenly you find yourself obsessed to know what day and hour it is. Already it feels like you've been here for an eternity ... and it's only Day 1.

DAY 2The continuing darkness is stifling. It's as if something is lurking in the veil of night that surrounds you. You yell, you threaten, you even plead, but to no avail. Whatever it is just stays there, producing fear like you've never known before.

As your eyes struggle to adjust to the dark, you become aware of a new sensation. The heat. It's right at the edge of unbearable. Hot, searing, intolerable heat. Your body craves water. You'd give anything for a drink, and you try unsuccessfully to push that desire out of your mind.

The air is thick, choking, miserable ... and it's just Day 2.

DAY 3At least you think it's Day 3. It seems like it has already been forever. You've not been able to sleep.

You still can't believe you're here. Where are the friends you thought you would see? The knowledge that they would be here too had brought you some comfort in your lifetime. Where is the fun you thought you would have? It isn't at all like what you were led to believe.

You stumble upon a group of others. You pour out a litany of questions. As they open their mouths, no words come out ... only the sounds of weeping and wailing. Some in the group don't even try to respond. They gnash their teeth, as if in some invisible pain.

You wonder when this nightmare will end. You wonder why somebody can't make it stop ... and it's only Day 3.

DAY 4How you wish you could send a message to those you left behind. You'd warn them about this place. You'd tell them what it's really like, so they'd never come. The thought of your loved ones coming to a place like this is unbearable. You can't help but think back upon that day when you made your decision to come here. You understood that your rejection of Jesus meant that you would spend eternity in hell but it didn't seem real or important then.

Looking back, you think how foolish you were to reject God's offer of salvation. You wish you could choose again.

You find yourself hoping that your loved ones will choose differently, even though you realize such a choice means you'll never see them again ... never touch them ... never speak to them. What a horrible realization ... and it's only Day 4.

DAY 5You've become acutely aware of the absence of any good in this place. There's no love, for God is love. There's no joy or peace or goodness, because all of these come from God too. There's nothing sacred, nothing holy, nothing of God anywhere to be found. You're amazed at how evil evil can be.

For the first time since your arrival, you begin to sense the great gulf that is fixed between where you are and where God is. The span is beyond your comprehension as you try to realize the degree of distance that will separate you from God and those who chose to serve Him. God is on the other side of that gulf. Loved ones in Christ are on the other side of that gulf. What a lonely realization ... and it's only Day 5.

DAY 6Through the darkness you saw a new face today. A new arrival. He stopped to speak with you. You could see the terror in his eyes. He asked questions that you had been asking only days before. You opened your mouth to reply, but all that would come out was the sound of weeping and wailing.

You've just spent your first 6 days in hell. Unfortunately, an unholy, unhappy eternity stretches out before you ... and all because you rejected Jesus. if only...

But wait. The fact you're reading this says you still have a chance. In His mercy, God is giving you an opportunity right now to change your eternal itinerary. "Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Acts 2:2 1).

Do you seriously believe in this stuff even though it is in opposition to what the Bible actually says? The Bible clearly shows that people do not have immortal souls. It says that "the soul that sins shall die", and also says "the gift of God is eternal life". Wait, yes, ETERNAL LIFE is a gift God gives through Jesus Christ, not something we inherently have. God does not condemn people who have never had the opportunity to understand God's truth to eternal torment. He does warn of an end time judgment, however, but this is different than the view most "Christians" have of hell. Do a little more studying. Don't read into the Bible what you want it to say or what you already think it says, but ask God to show you what He's really saying. He has a wonderful plan for mankind, and it doesn't include tormenting people for eternity.

Yes, I seriously believe this with all my heart. So did Jesus - the Son of God - as well as many great minds of the past (see below). What does John 3:16 say? The video is for real and the choice must be made now but not after death. I hope you change your direction (with all my heart)...

Love,Dr. Howdy

P.S. See below about what others said about the Bible that clearly teaches about our two choices for our final destiny:

If you stop believing what your professor told you had to be true and if you start thinking for yourself you may come to some conclusions you hadn't expected. You may find the Bible makes more sense than you thought or were told to think. Allow yourself to be ruined, ruined with regard to what you always thought could be true. Can you believe what you don't understand? You and I believe everyday what we don't understand unless it comes to the issue of salvation. - - - Dr. Woodrow Kroll

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There is simply no historic foundation for the position that the Framers intended to build the 'wall of separation' that was constitutionalized in Everson. The 'wall of separation be-tween church and state' is a metaphor based on bad history, a metaphor which has proved useless as a guide to judging. It should be frankly and explicitly abandoned. - - - Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court, William Rehnquist

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In 1796 the US Supreme Court issued this ruling, "By our form of government, the Christian religion is the established religion, and all sects and denominations of Christians are placed on equal footing." Some 57 years later, after Congress was petitioned to separate Christian principles from government, in 1853 the House Judiciary Committee issued their formalreport, including these words: "In this age there is no substitute for Christianity. This was the religion of the founders of the republic, and they expected it to be the religion of their dependents. The great vital, conservative elements in our system is the belief of our people in the pure doctrines and divine truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ." - - - Dr. Gerald Beavan

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"It is the duty of nations, as well as of men, to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God and to recognize the sublime truth announced in the Holy Scriptures and proven by all history, that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord." -- President Abraham Lincoln

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Trust in yourself and you are doomed to disappointment;trust in money and you may have it taken from you; but trust in God, and you are never to be confounded in time or eternity. - D.L. Moody

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Faith and love are apt to be spasmodic in the best of minds. Men and women live on the brink of mysteries and harmoniesinto which they never enter and with their hand on the door latch they die outside. GK Chesterton

Permission is hereby granted for you to change all humor used in The"E-Mail Newspaper", 'Thought & Humor' and its subsidiaries related to the institution of lower learning hereby known as UNC to another of your choice from the list below:

1) French university students 2) Harvard or U.C.-Berkeley3) Any accredited high school or middle school4) Any Loggerheads & Pundits5) Any and all persnickety individuals or nincompoops6) Any Chapel Hill, NC Citizen unless same sends an offspring to NCSU, JSU, MSU, USC, UGA, or FSU.

I am trying here to prevent anyone from saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him [Jesus Christ]: "I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God."

That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic -- on a level with a man who says he is a poached egg -- or else he would be the Devil of Hell.

You must make your choice. Either this Man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse .... You can shut Him up for fool, you can spit at Him and kill Him as a demon; or you can fall at His feet and call HimLord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that option open to us. He did not intend to.

-- From Case for Christianity, by C.S. Lewis

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"Let every student be plainly instructed and earnestly pressed to consider well the main end of his life and studies is to know God and Jesus Christ which is eternal life (John 17:3)."

- - - The Laws and Statutes of Harvard College in 1643

"All scholars shall live religious, godly, and blameless lives according to the rules of God's Word, diligently reading the Holy Scriptures, the fountain of light and truth; and constantly attend upon all the duties of religion, both in public and secret."

"Not being on the air, that's not important. But I'd liketo be in the newsroom helping set the agenda."

Retired CBS Anchorman Walter Cronkite

{Dear Walter, Fair news knows no agenda - Howdy}

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The Bible claims to be the Word of the only true God. In addition tohistorical, archaeological, and scientific proofs, there are numerousinternal proofs. No such evidences exist for other "sacred writings." The Bible was written during 1,600 years by 40 prophets, most of whom lived in diverse cultures, at different times in history, yet who never contradict but complement each other. For the Qur'an, Muslims must take the word of Muhammad, just as the Book of Mormon rests solely upon Joseph Smith's word. But every biblical prophet is confirmed by 39 other prophets. - - Dave Hunt

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God designed humans to want to believe in something. That's the image of God that is in us. But as G. K. Chesterton famously put it, when we reject the God of the Bible, we don't believe in nothing; we believe in everything -- including Little Green Men.

- - Chuck Colson

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Dear Howdy,

Thank you for your simply addicting newsletter...it's truly a candidate for the 8th wonder of the world and 1st candidate for the cyber-world...it just keeps blooming with more of what I need and, I think, what we all need...please keep up the great works!!!

Type atcha later...

God bless you,

Phil HWI

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Dear Howdy, Indeed I am a faithful Tarheel*, having both MA and Ph.D. from their fine chemistry department. But that doesn't keep me from getting a great kick out of the humor propagated by what appears to me to be a pack of wolves!!**

SERIOUSLY, THE HUMOR IS GREAT FUN BUT MY MAIN ATTRACTION WAS TO THE CONSERVATIVE MORAL AND POLITICAL STANCE THAT SEEMED TO CHARACTERIZE THE FIRST ISSUE I SAW. INCIDENTALLY (HE SAYS ACCIDENTALLY!), it was sent to me by a friend, so I really didn't "hear about you" at all, and still haven't. All I know is what has come in the two issues of the Newsletter I have seen. The best to you.

{Double click this link or copy and paste this link into your Web Browser's address line for more info - Not amalgamated with 'Thought & Humor' in any way - but should be}

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Board of Advisors for 'Thought & Humor':

Did you know that 'Thought & Humor' has a distinguished Board of Advisorsthat are designed to be a cross section demographically of our readership as far as age, location, gender, marital status, education & occupation are concerned???

"I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book." -- President Abraham Lincoln

"For we must consider that we shall be as a City upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us. So that if we shall deal falsely with our God in this work we have undertaken, and so cause Him to withdraw his present help from us, we shall be made a story and a byword throughout the world."--John Winthrop, Governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, 1630

"It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible." - President George Washington

"The Bible is no mere book, but a Living Creature, with a power that conquers all that oppose it." - Napoleon

"That Book accounts for the supremacy of England." - Queen Victoria

"If there is anything in my thought or style to commend , the credit is due my parents for instilling in me an early love of the Scriptures. If we abide by the principals taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us andbury all our glory in profound obscurity." - Daniel Webster (Founding Father)

"The Bible is worth all other books which have ever been printed." - Patrick Henry (original member of the Continental Congress)

"The Bible is the anchor of our liberties." - President U.S. Grant

"It is impossible to enslave mentally or socially a Bible-reading people. The principals of the Bible are the groundwork of human freedom." - Horace Greeley (Editor)

"That Book is the rock on which our Republic rests." - President Andrew Jackson

"In all my perplexities and distresses, the Bible has never failed to give melight and strength." - Gen. Robert E. Lee

"Bible reading is an education in itself." - Lord Tennyson (Poet)

"So great is my veneration for the Bible that the earlier my children beginto read it the more confident will be my hope that they will prove usefulcitizens of their country and respectable members of society. I have formany years made it a practice to read through the Bible once every year."- President John Quincy Adams

"The existence of the Bible, as a Book for the people, is the greatestbenefit which the human race has ever experienced. Every attempt to belittle it is a crime against humanity." - Immanuel Kant (Philosopher)

"The New Testament is the very best Book that ever or ever will be known in the world." - Charles Dickens (Author)

"All human discoveries seem to be made only for the purpose of confirming more and more strongly the truths contained in the Sacred Scriptures." - Sir William Herschel (Astronomer)

"There are more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history." - Sir Isaac Newton (Scientist)

"Let mental culture go on advancing, let the natural sciences progress in even greater extent and depth, and the human mind widen itself as much as it desires; beyond the elevation and moral culture of Christianity, as it shines forth in the Gospels, it will not go." - Goethe (Author)

"I have known ninety-five of the world's great men in my time, and of these eight-seven were followers of the Bible. The Bible is stamped with a Specialty of Origin, and an immeasurable distance separates it from all competitors." - W.E. Gladstone (Prime Minister)

"Whatever merit there is in anything that I have written is simply due to the fact that when I was a child my mother daily read me a part of the Bible and daily made me learn a part of it by heart." - John Ruskin (art critic and social commentator)

"The Bible has been the Magna Charta of the poor and oppressed. The human race is not in a position to dispense with it." - Thomas Huxley (Author & Scientist)

"The whole hope of human progress is suspended on the ever growing influence of the Bible." - W.H. Seward (Secretary of State)

"America was born a Christian nation. America was born to exemplify that devotion to the elements of righteousness, which are derived from the revelations of Holy Scriptures. Part of the destiny of Americans lies in their daily perusal of this great book of revelations. That if they would see America free and pure they will make their own spirits free and pure by this baptism of the Holy Spirit."--President Woodrow Wilson

For Christians, the life and death of Jesus are the ultimate expressions of love, and the supreme demonstrations of God's mercy, faithfulness, and redemption. Since Christ's miraculous Resurrection on Easter, more than 2,000 years ago, Christians have expressed joy and gratitude for this wondrous sacrifice and for God's promise of freedom for the oppressed, healing for the brokenhearted, and salvation. --President George W. Bush

"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the gospel of Jesus Christ. For this very reason peoples of other faiths have been afforded asylum, prosperity, and freedom of worship here." --Patrick Henry (original member of the Continental Congress)

Q: What if I can't read all of it? A: Delete it. Most folks don't read every word in every newspaper/magazine either?

Q: Am I required to memorize each article? A: Nope! Delete what you don't have time for or save for another time.

Q: Is 'T & H' Spam?A: No, it's made entirely of ham.

Q: Can I forward to friends & family? A: Please do.

Q: How many people have had opportunity to read 'T & H' E-Mail Newspapers? A: Well over 1 million + many forwards by you.

Q: Who is Howdy?A: We let him think he's the boss...

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Take the best medicine of all for what ails you -- laughter:

"A person without a sense of humor is like a wagon without springs--jolted by every pebble in the road."~Henry Ward Beecher"Laughter is a tranquilizer with no side effects."--Arnold Glasow"Laughter is by definition healthy."--Doris Lessing"If somebody makes me laugh, I'm his slave for life."--Bette Midler"The human race has one really effective weapon, and that is laughter."--Mark Twain "What soap is to the body, laughter is to the soul."-- Yiddish Proverb"Laughter is an instant vacation."-- Milton Berle "Laughter is the shortest distance between two people."-- Victor Borge

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under theheaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a timeto pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; atime to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance. (King Solomon)

NOTICE: The jokes published in this list were either submitteddirectly to 'Thought & Humor' or are, we believe, in the public domain. If you think that we have published a joke withoutgiving proper credit to its author/owner, please let us knowand we will provide appropriate credit in a future mailing.

But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My Name may be declared in all the earth. Ex 9:16

And this Good News about the Kingdom will be preached through all the world for a witness to all people; and then the end will come. Mat 24:14

2) For the wages of above (see #1) are DEATH (Hell, eternal separation from God, & damnation) but the Gift (free & at no charge to you) of God (Creator, Jehovah, & Trinity) is Eternal Life (Heaven) through (in union with) Jesus Christ (God, Lord, 2nd Person of The Trinity, Messiah, Prince of Peace & Savior of the World).

This wonderful loving GOD gives you the choice - - -(Rev. 3:20){Please note that church membership, baptism, doing good things, etc. are not requirements for becoming a Christian -however they are great afterwards!!!}

Jesus said, "Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction (Hell, damnation, eternal punishment), and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life (Heaven, eternal happiness, forever with God), and only a few find it. --Matthew 7:13-14

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ The "E-Mail Newspaper" containing 'Thought & Humor' is sent out FREE via e-mail w/o ads. This information was sent to you because you made the request, 'Thought & Humor' is one small attempt to obey "The Great* Com-mission". First published in the last century (July 26, 1997). Soli Deo Gloria... ________ "E-Mail Newspaper (Free4u)" _________References gleaned for great humor & information: Merry Heart, Thomas S. Elworth, Funny List, MeMail, Daily Dose, Joke of the Day, Kim Komando, MIKEY'S FUNNIES , The Daily Tease, Crosswalk.com, CLEAN LAFFS & Gophercentral.

Quoting one is plagiarism; quoting many is research.

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But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My Name may be declared in all the earth. Ex 9:16

About 2,000 yrs ago, at this very moment, after enduring some 24 hrs or so of being betrayed, seized, arrested, being taken before 3 venues of judgment (two of which found no crime committed), abandoned by His friends, denied 3 times by one close friend, beaten numerous times, scourged (His body's skin lacerated) mercilessly, displayed before His people, mocked, cursed, and rejected with their wish for Him to be crucified, made to carry not just a crossbar but a complete cross through town and to the execution site part way by a member of the witnessing crowd. He was nailed to that cross and the cross was erected by being lowered into a hole. He prayed for His accusers to be forgiven...he slowly and painfully died.

After His death, His lifeless body lowered from the cross, cleaned up and carefully wrapped and tied into a burial shroud with various herbs, etc. and laid to rest in a borrowed tomb behind a very large rock door.

All of this to fulfill centuries old prophecies...all of this so that we may learn to walk away from our sinfulness...all of this to learn simply, that we must love Him and each other...all of this to assure salvation for each one of us who willing accept Him as Savior, Lord, and King...in all of this He willingly once and for all gave His life...

I think a lot of the quotes you have given are wonderful quotes. Yet, I'm not going to stake my salvation on them. I'm going to look to the Book. You asked what John 3:16 says. It says, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." [KJV] Interesting that it says "should not perish", not "should not spend eternity in torment". The gift for believers is "eternal life". This clearly coincides with what I said before. Those who are non-believers will "perish". The Greek word here literally means "to destroy fully" or "to die". It has nothing to do with burning forever in hell. I'm not asking you to read anything into this. I'm asking you to look simply at what it says. Also, if you look at John 3:13 (just three verses above) you will read, "And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven." [KJV] Jesus Christ himself told his followers that no man had ascended into heaven, except Him. This is plain Scripture, and "the Scripture cannot be broken" [John 10:35, KJV]. As far as "hell" is concerned, there are three Greek words for the English "hell" in the Bible. One simply means "grave", another Gehenna (fire, everlasting punishment), and the the third refers to the abode of the demons (only used once in the NT). Notice the second, Gehenna, refers to a place of everlasting punishment. This is because the punishment is permanent. It is everlasting. It cannot be reversed. People going here are burned up and cannot come back. But, this is not everlasting punishing. It is not present progressive. They are not burning for eternity. Their souls are destroyed. For proof of this, Matt 10:28 says, "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." [KJV] The word "hell" here is "Gehenna" and this verse clearly shows that the soul will be DESTROYED in hell. The very definition of destroyed does not mean to live forever. Therefore, according to Scripture (which cannot be broken), those people who are thrown into Gehenna will be destroyed, not living forever in it. This is the plain truth of Scripture. If you can prove to me otherwise, from Scripture, I will change my mind. I am open to God showing me truth, even when He does it through other people. But you would have to be able to refute what the Scriptures I've shown you clearly state.

I called up the library the other day, because I began to think the other day I don’t know what stimulates my thinking, but sometimes the Holy Spirit just kind of prods my mind along certain lines and I began to think about the subject of hell. I took out a book that I every once in awhile read when I find myself becoming a little indifferent to people who die and the reality of hell. It’s the same book and I bet I’ve read it twenty times. And I read it again because it presents all that the Bible teaches about hell. And so I called the library and I said how many people die every year? And they said 50 million people die every year. So I figured out that 136,986 people die every day. 5,707 people die every hour and 95 people have just died since I started to talk to you. Most of them are in hell.

Hell is not a popular doctrine, but it’s true. There is a place of separation from God, that the Bible calls the ultimate hell. All of the 4 billion, 219 million people on this earth will die [1978]. And more than that will die because the people on the earth are being replaced at two and a half times the death rate. Billions of people will die. And said our Lord Jesus Christ, “Broad is the way that leads to destruction and many there be that go in there at.”

The earth as we well know is pock marked with graves. Every time I drive along and see Forest Lawn and it all looks so green and so white with all the buildings and so beautiful, but all I can ever think about is that it’s full of graves, most of whom are simply marks to indicate someone in hell. That’s a terrifying thought. The myriad of tombstones and crosses and grave markers constantly remind us that death claims everything. Every living thing. And that there are only two options, after death: one is heaven and one is hell. And I believe in the real heaven and the real hell. The Bible is explicit about that. For those who obey and love the Lord Jesus Christ there is heaven. A place of joy and bliss and happiness. For those who love not the Lord Jesus Christ, according to first Corinthians 16: 22, there is only cursing and an eternal hell. And you know I have to realize the fact that I think the doctrine of hell is one of the greatest proofs that God wrote the Bible because men don’t write books that damn their souls to an eternal hell.

This is God’s book and this is what God says, in fact, it might be interesting for you to note that the person in all of history who spoke the most about hell was the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. People say, "Well, the Lord Jesus Christ was full of love and He was full of grace and He was full of mercy," and that’s so true. But for those who shun His grace and reject His mercy and do not return His love there is an inevitable consequence and He spoke of it many times--Hell. The place of eternal burning.

Henry Van Dyke put it this way, “Remember that what you possess in this world will be found at the day of your death and belong to somebody else, but what you are in this world will belong to you forever.” Death doesn’t change anything. It just puts into forever what you were in this life. If you didn’t want God in this life, God’s certainly not going to sentence you to an eternity in His presence. If you didn’t want Him here, you don’t want Him there. People always say, "Well when people go to hell aren’t they sorry and don’t they want God?" Listen if you wouldn’t want the Lord Jesus Christ and the sweet wooings of the Holy Spirit in this age, you would never want Him in hell when there is no good thought. No good influence.

And so the Bible teaches that if you live in this world for the gratification of the flesh, if you live in the sins of this world, you will die in those sins and you will live eternally in a place prepared for those who have so died. But if in this life you live for Jesus Christ and you live for God you will live eternally in the place prepared for those who choose such a life. Our own Lord Jesus summed it up in Matthew when we see the ultimate judgment there. The judgment of the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25 and Jesus says, these are the words of Jesus, the loving Savior, “Depart from Me, ye cursed into everlasting fire.” And on the other hand He said, “And these shall go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous unto life eternal.”

There are two places. Heaven and Hell. And you know, some people can satisfy their minds by just sitting around trying to rationalize why there is a hell or how could a loving God have a hell, but that’s not really the point. It is true and the Bible reveals it and God‘s reasons are clear if we study them. God does not desire to force people into His kingdom. But we best not sit about and speculate as to whether this kind of a God could have a hell. We had better realize the reality of it and do something about it.

Samuel Scales wrote this about a trip he took, “Recently I had the privilege of visiting Paris, among the sites and buildings chosen to visit was the Rodin Museum.” Here are housed most of the works of the famous sculptor Auguste Rodin.

Perhaps his most well known work is La Penseur or The Thinker and we’ve all seen that one, if we’ve looked at any books of art. “Before I made the visit,” says Scales “someone told me that the Statute of the Thinker was facing the gates of hell,” which by the way, is another work of Rodin. “And that the two works were really to be seen together, as if the Thinker was thinking about hell. I discovered however, that the Thinker was really an offspring of the work The Gates of Hell. The Thinker was originally created by Rodin within the gates of hell. He is the one, Rodin consigned to hell itself. What did this mean? As I stood before this giant work of art I let my imagination roam at will, I wondered what is it the famous figure might be thinking? Rodin seemed never to have indicated specifically what his figure is thinking, but it is no doubt a reflection of Rodin’s pessimistic speculation of the afterlife. Rodin received his inspiration for The Gates of Hell from Dante’s Divine Comedy.” Listen, he said, "If he is thinking about hell then he became too late smart. Because the time to think about hell is not after you are in it, eternally held within its confines, but before, while in this life." And Scales says, “My mind went immediately to a story that Jesus told in Luke 16 about a rich man who died and went to hell. And he too like Rodin’s thinker became smart too late.”

This is the time to realize it. It isn’t just that the people baptized have escaped a doleful meaningless life. It isn’t just that they have been given happiness and peace and love and joy. It is that they will never know hell. They will never spend an eternity without God, of which the Bible speaks in such explicit and shocking terms, as to say that there is a place called everlasting fire, where the worm dieth not, where the fire is not quenched, the bottomless pit, outer darkness, with weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth, a fire unquenchable, a furnace of fire, blackness of darkness.” And I couldn’t help but think about you, that as many folks were being saved, it isn’t just that they’re going to be happy. It isn’t just that they’ll know peace. It’s that they have been granted by God’s wonderful grace the promise of eternal life in heaven, and they have missed hell. What about you? What does the future hold for you?

As you come to this table you say, "Well John, I’m a Christian." Then are you thankful for the cross? Not only for the cross that purchased for you joy and peace and gladness and love and hope and all those good things for here and now and for forever. But are you thankful for the cross by which the Lord Jesus Christ endured hell, as it were, for you that you may never know it? That’s what the cross means. Not just what we gain, but what we miss, what we lose…hell.

I would just say this to you, if you’ve never invited Jesus Christ into your life, you’re in danger of hell. To die is to go out of God’s presence forever. But it need not be. Because the Bible says , “He is not willing that any should,”…what... “perish”. God said, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked.” You see hell was created for the devil and his angels, not even created for men. And its only as men willfully join the rebellion of Satan that they sentence themselves to hell. That isn’t God’s will. It was a place that He made to put fallen angels so that they wouldn’t corrupt the world and the universe anymore than they had already corrupted it. And men choose to go there. It’s not necessary. If you put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, He’ll gather you into His kingdom.

Hell and Holy WeekRay PritchardKeep Believing MinistiresLast week the Pope made headlines when he said that hell is a real place. Addressing a parish gathering in a suburb of Rome, he said noted that hell “really exists and is eternal, even if nobody talks about it much any more.” He’s definitely right that we don’t talk about it very much, even in church.

When was the last time you heard a sermon on hell?

The latest research from George Barna reveals that only 32 percent of Americans see hell as “an actual place of torment and suffering where people’s souls go after death.” We’re a lot more comfortable with heaven. And most of people expect to go to Heaven – somehow, some way – when they die. Hell is not such a hot topic these days.Click Here

I have two purposes for noting this. First, to commend the Pope for speaking up in favor of the doctrine of hell. Second, to comment on the connection between hell and Holy Week. If hell is a myth, then Jesus’ death on the cross makes no sense whatsoever.

This morning I did a quick survey of the gospels to catch something of the flow of Jesus’ teaching during the days leading up to his crucifixion. I wanted to see what our Lord had on his mind as he made the long journey to the cross.

You can see the answer most clearly in Matthew’s gospel. I was struck by Christ’s emphasis on coming judgment on the unrepentant, especially the religious leaders who rejected him. That’s the point of the parable of the tenants (21:33-46) and the parable of the wedding feast (22:1-14). In the latter Jesus speaks of “outer darkness” where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. When he pronounces seven woes on the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23, he calls them children of hell (v. 15). Jesus speaks again of weeping and gnashing of teeth in 24:51 and 25:30.

The clearest example comes in Matthew 25:31-46 where Jesus speaks of the judgment of the nations and the separation of the sheep and the goats. Regarding the “goats,” Jesus says, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (v. 41). They will go away into “eternal punishment” (v. 46).

This is striking because these solemn words were spoken by our Lord on Wednesday of Holy Week, two days before his crucifixion. We cannot escape two conclusions as we think about what this means:

1. Jesus believed in hell and warned that some people were going there. 2. Jesus’ death is the “ransom for many” that delivers us from hell.

Click Here

What is the worst thing about hell? It’s not the fire (though the fire is real). It’s not the memory of your past (though the memory is real). It’s not the darkness (though the darkness is real). The worst thing about hell is that it is the one place in the universe where people are utterly and forever forsaken by God. Hell is truly a God-forsaken place. That’s the hell of hell. To be in a place where God has abandoned you for all eternity.

It is precisely at this point that we encounter these tortured words from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). Jesus died a sinner’s death and took a sinner’s punishment so that guilty sinners like you and me could be eternally forgiven. He was forsaken that we might never be forsaken. Those who trust in him will never be disappointed, in this life or in the life to come. A hymn by Ann Ross Cundell Cousin beautifully captures the deeper meaning of the cross:

O Christ, what burdens bowed Thy Head!Our load was laid on Thee;Thou stoodest in the sinner’s stead–Didst bear all ill for me:A victim led, Thy blood was shed!Now there’s no load for me.

Death and the curse were in our cup–O Christ, ’twas full for Thee!But Thou hast drain’d the last dark drop:‘Tis empty now for me.That bitter cup, love drank it up,Now blessings flow for me.

Jehovah lifted up His rod:O Christ, it fell on Thee!Thou wast sore stricken of Thy God;There’s not one stripe for me.Thy tears, Thy blood beneath it flowed;Thy bruising healeth me.

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